Learn about the West Wing
The West Wing was an early addition to the original White House. Thomas Jefferson suggested adding on to the White House on both the east and west sides. Jefferson envisioned a series of terraces that would connect the main portion of The White House with additional office space and greeting areas in the new wings.
While little remains of Jefferson’s original design, the West Wing is now the center of official activity in the White House. The West Wing as it is today came about largely during the Roosevelt administration. The office of the President at that time was located on the same floor as the residence. But Roosevelt had a large family and was finding the quarters to be cramped.
For this reason he requested that his offices be moved. Congress approved $65,000 for the project, which was to include a “temporary office space” to the west of the White House. The firm of McKim, Mead and White built the addition, and the first meeting was held in the space in November of 1902. When Taft took over the office in 1909, he moved the office permanently to the center of the West Wing, and the shape was changed to oval.
The West Wing not only houses the Presidential Oval Office, but also the Situation Room, Office of the Executive Staff, Cabinet Room and James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. It is a small building (at least compared to the White House) and includes a 1,000 square foot lobby and several offices.
Because of the location of the Oval Office in relation to other offices in the West Wing, all staffers are just a few steps away from the President at any given time. While no one in the West Wing is very far from the Oval Office, there is a certain status among staffers that is based on just how close their office is located to the President’s office.
A fire in 1929 destroyed much of the interior. It was rebuilt and new modern features, including air conditioning, were added. Today, there are talks of greening the West Wing and other portions of the White House to maximize energy efficiency and minimize the harm caused to the environment.
A hit television show named after the building attempted to portray the daily life and work of the President and his staffers. The accuracy of the West Wing was and is called into question by those in the know in Washington. Among the grievances: The show portrays the rooms as larger than they are in real life. Also, on the show the rooms are used for purposes, such as the medical treatment of a staffer, that wouldn’t take place in the real West Wing.
One thing that is certain is that the West Wing transformed the way the President interacts with his staff. From that first Cabinet Room meeting in 1902 until today wars have been waged and history made inside the walls of the West Wing.
